Missing USPS Coin Package... Is it gone forever???

So my three Barber Quarters are missing somewhere in the world of the USPS. Both the seller and I have contacted my local post office, and he even contacted the facility in which it left and hasn't been seen yet from which we've gotten very little help. The package was last tracked on the 23rd of November, one location before it was to reach me. When I didn't get the package on the 25th, I contacted my post office and they said they'd look into it and contact me. Well yesterdays mail came and went still with no package and nothing new showing up on the USPS website, so I called back and spoke with the man I had talked to the previous Monday and he said I was going to be at the top of his priority list(I guess the first time I called it wasn't important)

The supervisor I spoke with is suppose to contact me today at noon to give me any additional information he gets from the two facilities he is going to contact in the morning(the one it left, and the one it was heading to)

Has anyone ever had this happen, and actually have the package still arrive?

I REALLY want these coins and I know if they don't arrive I will be refunded as I paid with PayPal and the package was insured, but that doesn't make me feel any better that someone out there could be holding onto my coins!


Hopefully someone in here has some good experience with a missing package that finally shows up....

What are your thoughts?

 

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I once had a package show up after being missing for 3 weeks.

 

Did the package require a signature? All hope is not lost. I certainly empathize with your situation.

 

It amazes me that the USPS, in their current state of disarray, manage to deliver such a high percentage of the packages shipped through their services. I've shipped and received many hundreds of packages without a mishap, but maybe that's just luck, as this link to postal dissatisfaction will attest:
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/delivery/usps_lost_mail.html

I feel for the OP though, as I had a U.P.S. package go missing last Christmas. Eventually received a full refund, but not the presents. We just have to put our faith in the system and hope for the best.

 

I've had similar things happen where something would show "out for delivery" and it would stay that way for a while - that is, when I was Stateside.

Only thing that's ever happened to me with the post office was a coin didn't show up once. The package did but it was open and empty. Coin was never to be found.

 

I'm currently having the same problem. I've had 2 packages that I mailed out (as the seller) go missing in the past 2 weeks (out of about 80 that I've mailed out). One is a 1928 Peace dollar sold for $260 requiring signature confirmation, and one is a $30 capped dime with just delivery confirmation. In both cases, they were scanned in and made it out of my city, then disappeared. eBay buyer and seller protection should kick in and eBay will eat the loss and refund the buyer - since I can prove I shipped them with tracking and the buyer can prove he had a legitimate shipping address. Good luck to us all...

 

happened to me twice.. its not worth the stress

 

I just had a package, on its way to me, stall and disappear from tracking at its place of origin in Illinois for 7 days before appearing again on the tracking page. It has now been stalled in a city my town shares a border with in California for 2 days.

Another package I mailed from California to North Carolina disappeared from tracking for a few days only to reemerge in Anchorage, Alaska before finally heading east.

 

Driver takes a wrong turn and gets lost sometimes........

 

Anything is possible:

I Got An E-Mail Last Week [actually this was about a year and a half ago].


Okay, so, I get an e-mail last Monday from a rather famous numismatist that I correspond with on a regular basis. Okay, okay, so it was from a famous numismatist.

He stated that he had signed my books and was returning them to me that day. In addition he/I discussed a number of other things, but I digress... (no shock there). I sat and stared at the screen for a full minute or two just thinking.........


And thinking...........


Okay, what is going on here, I hadn’t sent any book to him. Perhaps Whitman had arranged something for me, and forgot to let me know? Nah, not likely, although, they had done some nice things in the past. I couldn’t figure out what was going on.


Then I remembered, about a year ago I had sent some books to him for signing. After about a week or two they had never arrived, and finally, after a month or so I figured that they were gone for good.
Could it be my long lost books? Nah, no chance.

Fast forward to yesterday. My wife yelled out that the mailman was bring a package to the door, and grab the door before he rings it or the dogs do nuts. I ran out and thanked him and carried this 20 pounds or so box.

It was considerably damaged, USPS ‘received damaged’ tape on the sides, and the bottom was about to fall out.

Long story short? [Yeah, I know, too late for that.]
It was my package of books.

I checked the original mailing date (still visible under the return stamps) and it reads: Sep 17, ‘10.

For those of you (like me, normally) too lazy to do the math: it took 546 days to get to the midwest. And 6 days to get back.

Now, I do know that media mail is slow.........

But this is ridiculous.

As soon as I have a chance I’ll take a picture of the postmark and the condition of the box as finally received.
And I'll try to take pictures of some of the damage to the books.


Other notes:

This was sent out in a hurry and I was most upset because I did not keep a list of what was enclosed in the box! That was the first time that I had ever done that. I was pretty sure about some of the contents, but not positive. And besides, there were a few pieces that I only had one copy of (which for me is unusual).

The contents of the box were somewhat damaged, and a number of the books had marks and damaged corners. However, considering that the box was nearly disintegrating, I was glad that the books were in one piece at all.

Note to self:

1) Insure box before sending anything.
2) Make list.
3) Before sending anything pray!


One corner's damage:

Click this bar to view the full image.


The PO's destructive abilities:

Note the "RECEIVED IN DAMAGED CONDITION"

Yeah, received by one of them (the PO workers) after another one destroyed the box.
Click this bar to view the full image.



Proof of date of mailing:

Click this bar to view the full image.



To the Post office I can only say: thumbs down on your quality and service.

On another note:

I have mailed two books that simply vanished.

 

i live in jersey an had ordered some silver rounds from MCM, they left the jersey city n.j. sort facility on nov. 4th and are still "in transit", contacted MCM and they sent me an affidavit to sign and return and have already received replacement rounds, meanwhile the original ones are still "in transit".....

 

My wife had ordered something from overseas, a prop for her photography business, so we expected a longer than normal arrival. Well, 2 weeks after the expected date of the package, we gave up, got our money back, the whole deal. A MONTH later, the package shows up. It's in one of those bubble wrap thick envelopes with a hole in the bottom, and nothing inside. At least they found it I suppose.

 

I'm thinking someone got a five fingered discount on some old Barbers!!


Frank that's awesome! I wonder where that big ol box was hiding for 2+ years!

 

This time last year I ran into the same problem with two items. One was coins, the other was Jewelery for my wife. Both disappeared somewhere in shipping. I have suspicions that it was a postal worker since both were to be delivered to my place of business where a person would receive them instead of them being put in a mail box or on the door step.
Completely drained my optimism in the system. If it seems fishy or things run late, kiss them goodbye. Write them off and move on. If they show up later it will be a happy event, but don't spend time wondering.
Also it doesn't help when items are picked up and stuff like "Jim's Fine Jewels" is on the shipping label. That is asking for trouble.

 

Well the seller is asking me to wait until December 12th to file a claim on the item, waiting to see if it's going to arrive. I'm obviously not mad at the seller but I honestly do not think it's going to arrive so I'd like to get the money back so I can look for other coins. I want to be nice and wait, but at the same time I really don't want to wait another 10 days to file a claim, then wait who knows how long before PayPal actually refunds my money.

 

PayPal usually refunds the buyer in 24 hours after you escalate the case.

 

Well wonderful news! They found the coins! The package was destroyed but the 3 coins were laying in the bottom of the bin the package was in. It's okay though, I got a "We Care" envelope from the PO

Guess all you have to do is complain on cointalk and word spreads!!


Now that I have them in hand, it's as I expected, 2 cleaned, one not cleaned, only problem, it looks like 2 of them have slight PVC green going on. How do I fix this without destroying the coins....

 

Very nice coins!